DIDIPIO MINE ACCESS ROAD  PHASE II

OceanaGold (Philippines), Inc. owns and operates the high-grade gold and cupper Didipio mining project bounded by the provinces of Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya, about 270km north of Manila, Philippines. Prior to opening the site for operation, construction of a 24-kilometer access road was required. Large portions of mountain slopes were cut for the said purpose. Some portions of these cut slopes, when exposed to rain, have collapsed and thus required the most economical and practical solution.

The solution proposed by Maccaferri, through its recommended contractor, Infratex Philippines Inc., was to use gabion gravity wall system as toe wall to rehabilitate failed slopes. This solution has been proven to be economical and practical due to the remote location of the project, and therefore was immediately approved by the customer. Besides being economical as they maximize use of in situ filling materials, gabions are known to be structurally sound earth retaining structure system. Gabion construction methods are also simple and can be done even on rainy season. Further, gabion construction generates work among locals because skilled labor is not required to construct this type of wall.